Bangladesh has once again denied any instances of enforced disappearance, despite facing harsh criticism from human rights activists and calls from leading Western democracies to investigate alleged cases at the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Dhaka's response echoes the familiar refrain that "The laws of Bangladesh do not include the term 'enforced disappearances'." This issue drew significant attention and criticism during the fourth UPR held in November 2023. As the state party under review, Bangladesh, in its response to the report  of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, said, “There had been ill-motivated tendency for quite some time to label all cases of missing as ‘Enforced Disappearances’ with a view to maligning the Government of Bangladesh (GoB).” Additionally, the country emphasised that its criminal laws addressed "kidnapping" or "abduction," which apply to all individuals, including law enforcement ...